William David Drastata, a proud University of Houston alumnus, celebrates his 90th birthday on September 26, 2026.
Bill grew up on a cotton farm in El Campo, Texas, as one of seven siblings. He has always been especially proud that he was the only one of the seven to leave home for the “big city” to attend the University of Houston, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business.
He attended UH during the mid-1950s through the early 1960s, with four years of U.S. Army service during that period. He later went on to spend his career with NASA at the Johnson Space Center.
Bill often told his family the “big city/college story” for many years. It is one of those family stories that has been told and retold because attending the University of Houston meant so much to him. Even all these years later, he remains incredibly proud to be a Cougar alumnus. Bill has carried his pride in the University of Houston with him for more than seven decades.
Accomplishment